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Green Day Celebrates 'Breakdown' With NYC Club Gigs

Green Day brought its "21st Century Breakdown" celebration to New York City, with a pair of small club shows just days before the album officially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After a Monday night fan club-only gig at the Bowery Ballroom, part two of Green Day’s New York City club tour continued at the relatively large Webster Hall. The band delivered an unforgettable two-part set that encompassed 11 songs from its latest release and a mixed bag of covers and classics from its deep catalog.

Green Day launched directly into "21st Century's" title track, followed by the first single, "Know Your Enemy." They followed with the equally quick and aggressive but slightly angrier "East Jesus Nowhere." When lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong wanted to slow the pace down he announced, "We’re going to do a little campfire song" and jumped into "Before the Lobotomy." The band then played seven additional songs off the new album, each with sniper-like precision and infinite energy.

The band took a short breather and came back out with a taste of their best-selling "American Idiot" with the title track, the nine-minute opus "Jesus of Suburbia" and "St. Jimmy." Even the group's first E.P., "39/Smooth," saw the light of day with "At The Library." The other early Green Day song -- "80" from their second full length "Kerplunk" -- was a fan request that Armstrong agreed to play while admitting that he may not remember all the lyrics. "Dookie" favorites "Longview," "Basket Case" and "She" sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Green Day typically do one or two covers at every gig, and at Webster Hall the selections included "Surrender" by Cheap Trick and the Isley Brothers' "Shout."

Green Day's New York residency is still ongoing: the band plays another "secret but not so secret" show tonight (May 20) at the PC Richard & Son Theater. The band is also scheduled to appear on the "Colbert Report" on May 21 and "Late Night With David Letterman" on May 22nd. Green Day's full North American tour kicks off on July 3.